All that time, I thought I needed to be organized - and I was.

Organized, I mean.

But what I really needed was to become more effective. And the secret to getting more things done is simply to do less things.

In the end, it comes down to what you finish - not the size of your “to do” list.

It’s one of those things that a pro makes look so easy, but is frustratingly hard for someone just starting out.

The first time behind a mixing board can be a little overwhelming, to be sure. What is there - a thousand knobs, slides, dials, and … ?

So it’s more or less pretty much expected that a newbie will begin to twiddle with things - most of which he knows nothing about - in a desperate attempt to get some semblance of a balanced sound without squeals, screeches, or those sour notes coming from that guy in the back who thinks he can play lead guitar.

You know the one. But no matter what he tries, it just gets worse.

That is, until a pro steps in and takes over the board.

But rather than continue twisting and dialing things up even more, the pro begins to “cut” instead. Almost immediately you notice the difference.

Just taking away the most discordant elements brings everything else into harmony.

In fact, nearly every professional sound person I know will tell you the first adjustment to do is “cut”.

Remove the sounds you don’t want. Simple, right?

And isn’t that what that guy - what’s his name - Michaelangelo? Didn’t he do that with his statue of David? Just carved away everything that didn’t fit his vision?

The same thing holds true in business too.

At least, for me it did.

It was the size of a standard three-ring notebook, made of grey ballistic nylon, zippered all around, and as waterproof as I could make it. There were pockets inside for paper, pencils, maps, a compass, and most importantly, my lists.

It traveled with me everywhere - on the floor of the Land Rover (which often broke down just like the one in the picture - you don’t see a 7-eleven or Stripes anywhere close, do you?), beside me in the tent at night, behind the seat in the helo, and in my pack when we traveled by foot.

I called it my portable desk because that is what it was.

You see, this was a time when I made - and kept - lists for everything: daily tasks I wanted to complete, projects to keep on track, and even conversations with clients, government officials, and contacts.

All of it carefully recorded and entered into a notebook which I updated often. I’d picked up the habit soon after arriving in Africa.

At the time, my office was wherever my tent was pitched. It was a convenient means of dealing with the frequent moves, the ever-changing weather, and even the occasional animal foraging for food (monkeys are a pain).

I was organized. Or, at least I thought I was.

But on a trip back to the World (the US) I was invited to attend a talk at Harvard by a fellow I’d never heard of, Ricardo Semler.

Maverick!

The economic conditions Semler faced in Brazil at the time seemed overwhelming.

But Semler, who had just taken over his father’s failing company, went on to grow that company, Semco, into a world wide powerhouse which became the most widely admired company in Brazil.

Along the way, he wrote a couple of bestselling books; in my opinion, his best one is: Maverick: The Success Story Behind the World’s Most Unusual Workplace.

Semler said a lot of things that day I’ve long since forgotten, but one point stuck with me all these years later. It had to do with my lists.

Semler, like me, was a “list” guy who built and used lists daily. It was a system that worked well for him right up until it didn’t.

What happened is that his lists (and mine) became so detailed and complex they became the problem and not the solution.

His solution was simple: Cut nearly everything out.

Here’s what he said to me that day,

“If you make a daily list which has more than three things on it and you’re not the President of your country, that’s too many.”

And that was the answer I didn’t know I needed.

Simple. Effective. Easy.

OK, so maybe not all that easy, but you get the idea.

All that time, I thought I needed to be organized - and I was. Organized, I mean.

But what I really needed was to become more effective. And the secret to getting more things done is simply to do less things.

I know it sounds strange, but choosing only three things per day allowed me to focus on getting things done and not just adding more things to the list I would never complete.

In the end, it comes down to what you finish - not the size of your “to do” list.

Here’s a short article that makes the same point: Long lists never get done.

Oh, I almost forgot - he did write another book and you can find it down below in the reference section or just click on the link here.  

Additional Resources:

Ricardo Semler - The Seven-Day Weekend

Ricardo Semler - Official Website

Ricardo Semler: How to run a company with (almost) no rules | TED Talk

Ricardo Semler Won’t Take Control